Communion With the Christ:: A Very, Very Brief History of the Church: Part 14

After Constantine gained control over the Empire he set out on an agenda to rebuild the ancient glory of the Empire. Constantine saw the important position which Byzantium held in trade and commerce between Europe and Asia the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea. These advantages led to Constantine to chooses Byzantium as the new capital of the Empire, this decision, according to Constantine was of divine origin that it was God himself who instructed him to relocate the seat of power to this city.

The Emperor traveled to Byzantium. Constantine desired to enlarge the city to accommodate its growing stature in the economy of the Empire. Constantine determined to make the city bigger and through a grand ceremony involving Christian and pagan priest. Constantine walked the new parameters of the walls, which were to be built, indicating where the extent of them should be.

As Constantine walked the purposed limits of the new walls of the city, he was asked how far the new limits would extend? His answer was that the walls would reach "as far as the one who walks ahead of me". The Christian priest, who accompanied the Emperor, would have interpreted Constantine's cryptic comment to mean Jesus Christ,

however, the pagan priest who walked along would have thought he was speaking of their "god".

This involvement of pagan and Christians would be availed of often by the Emperor all for his own advantage.

A Synchronized City

The city was to be an embodiment of Imperial glory. Constantine brought statues of "gods" and riches from around the Empire to adorn the city. These statues were placed in public squares, bathhouses and the hippodrome. Constantine erected a great statue of the “god” Apollo in the very heart of the city but placed upon its shoulders was the very head of Constantine himself.

Constantine's city was becoming a synchronized mix of Christians Churches and pagan temples each finding themselves the beneficiaries of Constantine's support.

A non-Christian Convert

Many, over the centuries have attempted to understand Constantine's "conversion" . He never placed himself under the oversight of any Christian leader, however, he did have a Christian tutor for his son Crispus whose name was Lactantius.

Constantine would have at times many Christian leaders surrounding him, however, it is apparent that he had his own "religious" ideas that he chose rather than being taught by Christian clergy.

Constantine was never baptized in spite of his "profession" that he believed in Jesus. Constantine was a non-Christian Convert. It is interesting, however, to note that as time passed the Emperor personally would gain a better grasp of the Christian faith and very slowly did move away from devotions to the pagan religion.

Favored Christianity

In spite of Constantine being a non-Christian convert his polices did favor Christianity and, in many ways, and did help to diminish the influence of paganism within the economy of the social life of the Empire allowing Christianity the ability and freedom to spread and take stronger root in both east and west.

Some of his actions toward the Church made life much easier for Christians. He gave the Lateran palace to the Church. He made imperial messengers available to Church leaders and provided them for the Bishops who attended the Synod of Arles in 314 AD.

Constantine's favor which was shown to the Church however did not change the official religion of the Empire. Constantine recognized that if he was to advance his political and social agenda, he would need the help the Roman Senate which was still composed largely of devotees to the ancient ways of the Empire.

To help assure the cooperation of the Senate and to give them reason to trust Constantine he assumed the title "Supreme Pontiff " making him the High Priest of the Empire and protector of it's religious traditions. Constantine would bear this title even to his death.

Constantine had the Roman coins minted with the ancient symbols of Rome and with the ChiRho, that is the PX, which had placed upon the shields of his legions years before as he challenged Galerius and won victory at the Milvian Bridge.

As time passed Constantine began to show increased support of Christianity and in 324 AD he issued and Imperial Edict proclaiming that the his legions were to worship the Supreme God on the first day of the week.

The First Council of Nicea

Within the Church debates arose and issues especially "Arianism" which were abounding to the point of social and civil unrest in certain parts of the Empire. In order to put an end to this disturbance within the Empire Constantine called an assembly of the Church leadership to settle these matters and to restore peace.

This assembly was called in the year 325 AD at the town of Nicea. The main issue was to answer the assertion(s) of Dr. Arius who believed that Jesus Christ was not the "Eternal Son of God" and was not fully God as the Father as the second person of the Holy Trinity, but rather, was a created being of the supreme divine order. Arius said that Jesus is "god”, but was less than the Father by virtue of being created.

This view had become so divisive in the Empire society that strife and contentions had broken out in public places leading to near riots conditions.

The Church Council met and resolved that Jesus is, along with the Father and the Holy Spirit divine in the fullest measure and through the incarnation is fully human even as he is fully God.

The assembled Bishops wrote their consensus in the form of a creed, called the Creed of Nicea. In 381 AD, another major Church council was held at Constantinople at which the Creed of Nicea was slightly revised to include a few more doctrines. The resulting Creed is called the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, or more commonly, the Nicene Creed.

Constantine Impact

Emperor Constantine, attempted to create a new Roman Empire with all the glory restored, yet through his own doing he unleaded with the Empire the force which would, in the end, be its undoing. He gave the Church the freedom to grow. He built great cathedrals on the runes of the ancient Temples of the Empire of which he was the High Priest.

At his death, Constantine sons allowed the Roman Senate to declare their father to be among the "gods”.

Some Christian leaders of the time felt that in spite of his mixture of Christian and pagan beliefs Constantine had been divinely chosen to advance Christianity and to protect the Church positioning it for years to come to have an ever-growing influence in the world.

Benediction: May we each and all be ever grateful to our God who guides the flow of history for the advancement of his Kingdom and his glory, Today, tomorrow and forevermore. Amen